Emotional Warfare
by Rebecca Cage
Summary: When an accident during an off-world mission leaves Jack critically injured, Daniel blames himself and rages a war within himself. Can Sam and Teal'c help him deal with his emotions? Will Jack recover? What will become of Daniel and Sam's relationship?
1. Our Story Begins

Emotional Warfare  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate SG-1 or related characters. The only  
thing that I do have claim to are the ideas contained in this story.  
Therefore, please do not try to sue me for a hobby!!!!  
  
Chapter1: Our Story Begins  
  
At first glance, things inside the SGC seemed to be running normally and smoothly. But this was, in all honesty, not the case by any means. In fact, this day was nothing short of tragic.  
Outside the base infirmary, three members of SG-1 waited anxiously for news on the condition of their fallen friend. It had been nearly three hours since they had carried Colonel Jack O'Neill's inert form through the Stargate, and all were anxious for an update on his condition.  
Daniel Jackson was sitting in the outer room of the infirmary with Major Samantha Carter and Teal'c. Daniel was very distracted as he held his head in his hands. He just couldn't understand how this had all happened. The fact that he had been unable to prevent this whole incident was what he had been struggling with ever since they had returned to Earth.  
"Are you all right, Daniel?" Sam asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder in support.  
"Yeah, I'm fine, Sam. I'm just worried about Jack, that's all." Daniel sighed heavily as he looked up at her.  
"It appears to me that your distress is deeper than you admit, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c observed quietly.  
"Well, it's just that I have something on my mind that I haven't quite been able to come to terms with yet."  
"Any way we can help." Sam whispered.  
Daniel shook his head. "No. I appreciate you and Teal'c being concerned but this is something that I have to answer to on my own. Besides, it's Jack we need to be worrying about right now, not me."  
"He needs as much concern and worry as he can get right now."  
Upon hearing this, the SG-1 members looked up to see Dr. Janet Fraser come out of the infirmary with a concerned look in her eyes.  
"What is it, Janet?" Sam asked nervously.  
"It's not good news. Colonel O'Neill is in very rough shape. He has a significant amount of head trauma and right now he's completely unresponsive."  
"What do you mean, 'unresponsive'?" Daniel interrupted absently. He was hoping that she wasn't saying what he thought. Unfortunately, these hopes were unfounded. "Right now, Jack is in a deep coma. That's because of the stress his injuries have caused on his brain. I'm doing everything I possibly can for him right now and I'm also going to run a few tests to make sure I know the full extent of his injuries." Janet answered solemnly as she turned to go back to the infirmary.  
"What are we to do now?" Teal'c spoke after a moment. Sam appeared to ponder his question as Daniel stared blankly at the floor, lost in his own thoughts.  
"Well, I suppose we need to go and brief General Hammond."  
"No. We can't do that yet!" Daniel exclaimed.  
"Daniel, we have to. The general needs to be told about what happened. I know it's going to be difficult but it has to be done." Sam insisted.  
"Try to remain calm, Daniel Jackson. Major Carter is correct in this instance." Teal'c stated calmly.  
"Well, let's get it over with then." Daniel mumbled in a voice that was barely audible, knowing he was defeated. 


	2. Difficult Debriefing

Chapter 2: Difficult Debriefing  
  
General George Hammond was sitting at his desk, reviewing several reports that indicated the missions and status of all of the SG teams that were currently off world, when a knock on his office door drew his attention.  
"Come in." He stated, barely looking up.  
"General, we need to brief you about our recent mission." Sam said grimly as they entered the large office.  
"Of course. Come in and sit down, SG-1. Wait a moment. Where's Colonel O'Neill?"  
"Well, that's kind of what we needed to talk to you about, sir."  
"What do you mean, Major?" General Hammond demanded.  
"You see, sir. Colonel O'Neill was injured when we were off world on our last mission. Dr. Fraser is working on him in the infirmary now." Sam informed him.  
"What's Janet saying about Jack's condition? Have you heard anything?" Hammond dropped all traces of formality when he heard this news.  
"O'Neill is in a deep coma and in very serious condition. Dr. Fraser is doing all that can be done." Teal'c explained.  
"How did this happen?"  
"Well, sir, it started when we were trying to contact one of the Russian teams on PS3-97K. We had just reached the rendezvous point and contacted the allied team when we were ambushed by a band of Goa'uld. They were heavily armed and we were extremely outnumbered. The entire Russian team was completely wiped out. We believed we had defeated all of the Goa'uld but they had two spies hiding out near the Stargate. They shot the base out from under a ceremonial statue that was near the gate and caused it to fall right in the general area that Daniel was standing. Jack saw this and knocked him clear but wasn't able to get clear himself. Jack was injured in order to save Daniel." Sam explained with a difficult composure. Daniel Jackson, on the other hand, just stared straight ahead with a blank, haunted look in his eyes.  
"Is something the matter, Dr. Jackson?" General Hammond asked as soon as the shock wore off. When the younger man didn't look up or attempt to respond, Hammond shook his head before continuing reassuringly. "It's okay, Daniel. You don't need to talk if you're not ready. I understand. When you feel you can do it, I'm going to need you give me your point of view on what happened."  
"What are we going to do now, sir?" Sam asked.  
"There really isn't any other choice, Major. I'm hereby placing SG-1 on indefinite hold pending the status of Colonel O'Neill. All of your upcoming missions will be delegated among the remaining SG teams. Now lets see if we can lend Jack some support. Dismissed." Hammond said.  
"Yes, sir." Sam acknowledged and Teal'c nodded his head as General Hammond followed the three out the door toward the infirmary. They were all concerned as well about Daniel's emotional condition as he continued to stare blankly at nothing and hadn't spoken in nearly an hour.  
When SG-1 and General Hammond arrived in the infirmary, Janet was waiting on them to return. They were anxious to hear what she had to say.  
"What can you tell us, Janet?" Hammond asked solemnly.  
"Jack is still in critical condition but I've managed to get him stabilized. His brain isn't permanently damaged from what I can tell but until his body is able to heal what damage there is, I'm afraid he'll remain in a coma. He's lucky not to have received any other internal injuries. Other than the trauma to his head, the only other injury Jack has is a fractured leg. I'd definitely say that Jack O'Neill is an extremely lucky man."  
"O'Neill is very strong. If anyone can overcome something like this, it is him." Teal'c proclaimed.  
"I believe Teal'c may be right. An injury of this sort may have killed a weaker man. Jack has a fighting chance."  
"Now that we have some positive news, I suggest that we try to eat something or at least get a cup of coffee."  
"I think we could all benefit from that idea, Major Carter." Teal'c agreed, shooting a worried glance in Daniel's direction.  
  
* * * * *  
  
A few minutes later, the four worried SGC members were sitting in the cafeteria having a cup of coffee and attempting to eat something. There wasn't a whole lot of conversation going on. Everyone present were just drawing whatever strength and comfort they could in each other's company. After about twenty minutes of silence, Daniel spoke up for the first time in two hours.  
"Hey, guys. I'm really kind of beat. I think I'm going to head home for a few hours and try to catch a little rest. You know how to reach me if you need me." Daniel said distantly.  
"But, Daniel. You haven't eaten anything since we came back through the Stargate hours ago. You need to have some food first." Sam protested protectively.  
"I'm really not that hungry right now. Just make sure to call me if anything changes with Jack."  
"Of course, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c acknowledged.  
"Go on home and try to get some sleep, Daniel. You look like you need it. We'll keep you posted on things here, I promise."  
"Yes, sir." Daniel nodded weakly as he left the SGC and headed toward home, hoping that once he was away from the situation he could come to terms with the memories flashing through his mind and the storm of emotion that was raging within his breaking heart. 


	3. Flooded By Emotions

Chapter 3: Flooded By Emotions  
  
Daniel Jackson pulled into his driveway and got out of his car, slowly making his way up the path that lead to his front door. Once in the comfort of his own living room, Daniel sank wearily onto his couch and stared at the floor for a long moment.  
"I have got to keep my mind off of this. Seek distraction for your mind. You're losing it, Daniel. That's what Jack would tell you. Just put it out of your head. Man, I sure wish I had something to put me out right about now." Daniel thought to himself as he turned on the television and tried to let himself relax. These efforts were in vain, however, as he soon became engulfed in a storm of his own emotions.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Meanwhile, back at the SGC, Sam sat with Teal'c back outside the infirmary room where Jack O'Neill lay in a coma. She was worried about her injured friend but she was also very concerned about Daniel. Since he had left the SGC about an hour earlier, Sam had been haunted by how haunted he seemed. Teal'c noticed this and placed a strong hand on her shoulder.  
"You are very distracted, Major Carter. Is there anything that I can help with?"  
"I'm just concerned about how Daniel is dealing with Jack's condition. He seems to be shutting down and keeping everything inside."  
"As am I." Teal'c agreed.  
After a few minutes of pondering on what she should do about this, Sam got an idea of how she could at least help someone.  
"Hey, Teal'c. Can you stay here and keep an eye on Jack for me? I'm going to take a drive over to Daniel's place and see if I can't get him to talk to me about whatever it is that he's feeling. I think I might pick up a pizza and some beer and see if I can get him to eat something as well." Sam asked.  
"Indeed. I believe this is a good idea you have, Major Carter."  
"Thanks. I think I'll stay with Daniel until he's ready to head back to the SGC. I have a feeling he shouldn't be alone right now. If anything changes with Jack's condition, call Daniel's if we aren't back here." Sam instructed as Teal'c nodded to her as she headed out the door to see if she could find a way to comfort her distraught friend.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Thirty minutes later, Daniel was still sitting in front of the television though he wasn't paying any attention to it. All he could concentrate on was Jack's condition. It had nearly torn him apart to see his best friend lying unconscious through the infirmary window while Janet fervently worked to help him. Although she had told them he was stabilized, Daniel couldn't help but feel helpless in a situation that he could do nothing about.  
It didn't take Daniel long to realize that he was losing the battle with his heart and that his emotions would soon get the better of him. He had told himself that he couldn't allow that to happen so he closed his eyes to try to block it out. Before he could determine if this was working, however, the doorbell rang and caused him to open his eyes.  
"Hey, Sam." Daniel said quietly when he opened the front door to see Sam standing there with pizza and a twelve pack of beer in her hands.  
"Hi, Daniel. I brought some pizza and beer so we can have a little late night snack." Sam greeted him.  
"Oh. I appreciate the trouble you went to Sam but I'm not very hungry right now."  
"Daniel Jackson, you need to eat and you're going to regardless of whether you want to or not. I don't care if I have to sit on you and force food into you." Sam insisted.  
"Okay, okay. I guess I could try to put something in my system. Come on in, Sam." Daniel agreed finally, moving away from the door to allow Sam to enter.  
Back inside his living room, Daniel went to sit back on the couch and Sam came and sat across from him. Once she opened the pizza box on the coffee table, Daniel suddenly had a sudden surge of appetite. He picked up a piece of the hot pizza and proceeded to devour it like a starving man.  
"See. What did I tell you? Be careful not to eat so fast. If you don't then you'll get sick."  
"Thanks a lot, Sam. I guess I've been so absorbed in everything that I didn't realize that I was starving. You said you brought something to drink too, didn't you."  
"Yep. I did. I brought some beer for us. Thought you might be needing some of that, too." Sam smiled at him.  
"I really do appreciate this. With Jack is such rough shape, you guys have more to be concerned with without having to worry about me, too." Daniel said as he opened a can of beer and downed it in record time.  
"Daniel, in times like this we all need to look out for each other. You've been acting really strange since we came through the Stargate this afternoon."  
As Sam went to put the remaining pizza in the kitchen, Daniel became lost once again in the thoughts and emotions that had been threatening to overwhelm him ever since that afternoon. He was so distracted that he didn't even notice when Sam came to sit back beside him and put an arm around his shoulders.  
"Daniel?" Sam whispered quietly, trying to get his attention.  
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, Sam. I guess I spaced out for a minute."  
"Daniel, are you sure you're okay? It's like you've got something that you're holding inside that you won't tell anyone and it's going to bury you if you keep it up. I can tell that you're struggling with something related to what we went through today. Why don't you talk to me?"  
  
"I don't want to be a burden on you. I can just as simply work this through on my own."  
"Daniel, please. Whatever you're dealing with isn't something that you can just take care of by yourself because if it was you wouldn't still be struggling like you are. Plus, I don't want you to ever think you are a burden to me. The reason that I came over here tonight is because I didn't think you needed to be alone right now. I care about you, Daniel, and I want to help you if you'll only let me. So you need to talk to me." Sam pleaded.  
"Well, I can't get past this feeling that I'm somehow responsible for Jack being in the condition that he is. I mean, if I had been more aware of my surroundings instead of absorbed in whatever stupid thing I was obsessed with at the time, then Jack wouldn't have had to push me out of the way of something that was about to fall on my head and none of this nightmare would have ever happened. Basically, what I'm saying, Sam, is that I should be the one fighting for my life back at the SGC right now, not Jack." Daniel said, his voice cracking with the trapped emotions that were threatening to engulf him at any moment.  
"I don't understand why you think like that. There's no possible way that you could have known that the Goa'uld were going to launch a surprise attack. You thought, like we all did, that we had eliminated the threat. Don't beat yourself up over this. Daniel, you are not to blame for this. I can't imagine what you're going through right now. Just know that I'm here for you. I'll always be here." Sam said softly.  
The soft, reassuring voice of a friend was all Daniel needed to send him over the breaking point and it hit him all at once as he folded up in tears, tears that were a long time coming.  
"Shh. It's okay. Come here." Sam whispered as she pulled her sobbing friend into her arms and held him tight. "Let it go, Daniel. You need to cry. It's not healthy to bottle everything up inside. Just let it all out. I'm right here and I won't leave you here alone. I promise."  
For a long time, Sam held Daniel close and tried her best to comfort him as he cried his heart out in her arms. It broke her heart to see him so devastated and distraught because she cared so much for him. She cared for all of the members of her team, of course, but she had finally admitted to herself that she cared for Daniel on a deeper level than she did Jack or Teal'c. She just wished that she could take his pain away as she felt his body shaking under the weight of his sobs. Finally, she felt him go completely limp and Sam snapped out of her thoughts, startled.  
"Daniel?" Sam whispered, only to be greeted by the sound of deep, rhythmic breathing. She smiled a little at what she saw. Daniel's emotions had taken a toll on him and he had cried himself to sleep on his couch in Sam's arms and his head was resting heavily on her shoulder. "Sleep well, Daniel. You need to get some rest now."  
Sam then reached for a comfortable-looking pillow that was lying at the far end of the couch and laid it in her lap. Then she gently maneuvered Daniel to where his head rested on the pillow so that he could sleep more comfortably. Finally she reached down and gently removed Daniel's glasses and placed them on the coffee table before unfolding the afghan on the back of the couch and spreading it over him. She sat there for the next several hours keeping watch over Daniel, gently stroking his back as he slept to keep him relaxed. Sam then realized that for the first time that day, he seemed very peaceful and tranquil. Then Sam took the remote control off of the table and turned the television on at an appropriate volume. She had to keep it a little louder than she would have liked to but she had to due to the fact that, as his slumber continued to deepen, Daniel had begun snoring softly. Sam readjusted the afghan over him and watched the television, taking care to be quiet so she could let Daniel sleep. At about 3:00 in the morning, Sam decided to get up and stretch her legs so she lifted Daniel's head and slid out from under him before placing the pillow on the couch and resting his head on it, being extremely careful not to awaken him. Before moving away from the couch, Sam lifted Daniel's legs up onto the couch to ease any pressure on his back. Then she went into the kitchen to grab a piece of leftover pizza and munched on it hungrily. She was thinking about everything that had happened over the past day and she couldn't get what Daniel had said out of her mind. At that moment, she found herself wishing that they knew something about Jack's condition that would put Daniel's mind at ease.  
Her wish was granted when the phone rang about a half hour later. Sam hurried to the phone on the wall before it disturbed Daniel and was nervous as she picked it up. Until she heard Teal'c on the other end.  
"You must return here as soon as possible, Major Carter. There has been a change in O'Neill's condition and it looks slightly positive."  
"Okay. Thanks a lot, Teal'c. We'll be over there as soon as I can try to wake Daniel." Sam said, sounding very relieved.  
"Perhaps you should allow Daniel Jackson to sleep and leave him a message to return when he awakens." Teal'c suggested.  
"I would but I have a feeling he'd hang me by my ears if I did that."  
"Indeed. I shall fill you in when you arrive."  
After Sam hung up with Teal'c, she walked over to the couch and knelt down next to where Daniel slept.  
"Daniel." Sam whispered. When she got little response, she reached out and gently shook Daniel's shoulder. "Wake up, Daniel."  
"Hmm. Sam? What's going on?" Daniel asked sleepily as he squinted to see without his glasses.  
"Here. I took your glasses off after you fell asleep so they wouldn't get bent up."  
"Thanks. So what's up? Did anything change with Jack?"  
"Yeah. Teal'c just called and said that Janet noted a change in Jack's condition and they think it's on the up side. We need to get over to the SGC."  
"All right. Good. Let me throw on some fresh clothes and then we'll head out. You can go ahead if you want and I'll meet you over there."  
"No, I'll wait and you can ride with me. You just woke up and I want to make sure that you're safe. I don't think if I could handle it if something happened to you too."  
"Uh, okay. Just give me a minute." Daniel said as he made a momentary disappearance into his bedroom, slightly confused about what Sam had just said.  
As soon as Daniel was ready, the two got in Sam's car and headed back to the SGC. On the way over, Daniel took the opportunity to say something to Sam.  
"Hey, Sam. Can I say something to you?"  
"Sure you can, Daniel. You can say anything you want to me."  
"Okay. I wanted to apologize for losing it on you earlier. I told myself that I wasn't going to fall apart like that. Having a friend there to hold me so that I could have a shoulder to cry on really helped. I really appreciate it. I feel a little embarrassed that I ended up crying myself to sleep on your shoulder though." Daniel said a little sheepishly.  
"Don't worry about it, Daniel. I didn't think anything of it. You had a lot of pain and grief bottled up inside and you needed to let it out. Sometimes it helps to cry. As far as you crying yourself to sleep, I think that was for the best too. You hadn't slept since we came through the Stargate and you were both physically and emotionally exhausted after what happened to Jack."  
"I do feel better after a few hours sleep and getting some food. You're one in a million, Sam. I owe you big time. To be honest with you, I was surprised when you told me that Teal'c called. I must have been out pretty good if I didn't even hear the phone ring. You did make a wish come true for me, though, you know."  
"What wish was that?"  
"Well, when I first got home, I had a hundred things running through my mind at once and I wished that I had something to put me out so that I could put it out of my head. Then you showed up with an offer of consolation. I never really realized it before now but soft reassuring words and a comforting embrace of a friend when you're hurting is as good a tranquilizer as you can get." Daniel smiled at her and briefly covered Sam's hand with his own.  
"I'm glad I was able to help."  
"There's just one thing I don't understand though."  
"What's that?"  
"You were there when I woke up. You could have easily left as soon as I was out but you stayed. Why?"  
"I knew that you needed some company. Plus, I figured you'd rest easier with someone with you. I guess I was right if you were sleeping so deeply that you didn't even know the phone rang." Sam winked at him as she pulled the car into the SGC and she and Daniel went inside. 


	4. Ups and Downs

Chapter 4: Ups and Downs  
  
When they got to the infirmary, Teal'c was standing outside Jack's room waiting for them. He looked up and inclined his head in greeting as Sam and Daniel rushed up to him.  
"Teal'c!"  
"Are you well, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked.  
"Yeah. I'm a little better than I was, thanks to Sam."  
"I am glad."  
"What's the news on Jack?" Sam asked anxiously.  
"Dr. Fraser says that he has begun responding to various forms of verbal stimuli. She believes this to be positive."  
"I think that is a good sign. When did this happen?" Daniel asked, still not completely awake.  
"Not long before Teal'c called you." Janet Fraser said as she emerged from Jack's room, looking tired but cautiously confident.  
"What exactly happened, Janet?" Sam asked.  
"Well it started with me telling him to squeeze my hand if he could hear me. Then after that I tried a few other things, some that worked better than others. I can't be sure if it's voluntary or just coincidence but it may be a sign that his brain is starting to recover."  
"At least its something that we can hold onto at this point. A little bit of hope is better than none at all." Daniel pointed out.  
"Hey, guys. Why don't we head to the cafeteria to try and get some breakfast."  
"Indeed. Some nourishment would be beneficial at this point." Teal'c agreed.  
A few minutes later, they were sitting at their normal table in the cafeteria having something to eat. They were all very relieved and it made Sam happy to see that Daniel didn't seem quite as distracted. She didn't think he was over what he felt by any means, but at least he wasn't dwelling on it right now.  
"There we go. I needed a little caffeine to jump start my brain." Daniel said as he took a sip of his coffee.  
"I am glad that you appear to feel better, Daniel Jackson. I was beginning to become concerned. Are you still troubled?"  
"Yeah, a little. But now that we have a little hope to hold onto in this situation, I can keep my mind off of it enough to where I can actually function. Thanks for your concern, Teal'c. I really appreciate it."  
"I believe the Earth saying goes 'What are friends for?'" Teal'c smiled and patted Daniel on the shoulder.  
After he finished his coffee, Daniel decided to report to General Hammond with his briefing of what had happened the previous day.  
"Hey. I need to go and speak with General Hammond and give my report about what happened since I was in too bad a state of shock to do that yesterday. I'll meet you back in the infirmary as soon as I'm finished." Daniel said quietly.  
"Good luck, Daniel." Sam whispered as she took Daniel's hand and squeezed it gently. Teal'c noticed this and made a mental note to ask Sam about it later.  
  
* * * * *  
  
As Daniel arrived outside the door to General Hammond's office, he took a moment to steady his nerves before he knocked.  
"Come in." General Hammond looked up as Daniel stepped in the door. "Sit down, Dr. Jackson."  
General Hammond gave Daniel a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking again. He wanted to make sure that he got Daniel's end of the story as accurately as possible.  
"As you know, Daniel, I need you to tell me everything that you remember about the ambush that SG-1 was involved in by the Goa'uld yesterday that led to the injury of Colonel O'Neill. It's imperative that I give the President a complete report of the incident from all able persons immediately. I need your report to add to what I received from Sam and Teal'c yesterday."  
"Yes, sir. This is harder than I thought it was going to be. Like Sam already said, we were on the off-world mission to rendezvous with the Russian team. Before we could complete the mission, however, the Goa'uld launched an ambush that completely wiped out the Russian team. We managed to destroy all the Goa'uld, or so we thought. I was analyzing something that I found that appeared to be of interest when I heard what I know now was two Goa'uld operatives blasting down the statue near the Stargate. The next thing I knew Jack shoved me clear of the danger and when my head cleared I turned around to check on Jack and found him lying in the rubble." Daniel paused and put his head in his hands.  
"It's all right, Daniel. Take your time."  
Daniel drew a shaky breath before continuing. "Then, after we cleared the rubble away, Sam went ahead to dial the gate and Teal'c and I carried Jack through and that's pretty much all I remember."  
"That's more than enough information to create a full report. Thank you for your time, Daniel. Dismissed."  
"Yes, sir." Daniel said just as the desk intercom buzzed an urgent tone.  
"Hold on, Daniel. This is from the infirmary." General Hammond called, causing Daniel to halt in his tracks. "Hammond. Yes, Dr. Jackson is with me in my office. Right. We're on our way."  
"Sir?" Daniel asked, visibly upset.  
"We need to get down to the infirmary. It's Jack."  
  
* * * * *  
  
When Daniel and General Hammond reached the infirmary, Sam and Teal'c were standing outside Jack's room with Janet. Another SGC physician was working frantically to stabilize Jack's condition.  
"What the hell happened?" Daniel shouted, lunging in Janet's general direction only to be stopped by Teal'c.  
"Remain calm, Daniel Jackson."  
"I'm not sure what happened to Colonel O'Neill. One minute he was stable and the next he just crashed." Janet explained as her colleague thrust his head through the door.  
"Dr. Fraser, we need you in here now. He's flatlined."  
Janet rushed through the door and began assisting the frantic effort to revive Jack. Teal'c and General Hammond exchanged looks and Sam placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder as he stood rigid with shock and horror.  
"Daniel. Are you okay?"  
"No, Sam, I'm not okay. Would you be okay if you knew you may have killed your best friend because of your damn arrogant stupidity? I need some air. I have to get out of here." Daniel shouted as he turned and bolted through the corridors. Once he reached the door, he ran out into the night air and then collapsed to the ground in total exhaustion, praying that his stupidity hadn't killed his best friend.  
Back in the infirmary 15 minutes later, Janet came out of Jack's room looking completely worn out. She looked at the three worried faces outside the door and gave a positive nod.  
"Colonel O'Neill is stable. We thought we were going to lose him but he pulled through somehow. What happened was that he had an adverse reaction to the pain medication that we were giving him. We've tried something different to keep that from happening again. He isn't out of the woods by any means but at least he's alive."  
"Thank God." Sam breathed.  
"Once again, O'Neill has proved impressively strong." Teal'c grinned.  
"Well, people, as much as I had to abandon my people during crises, I must go contact the President. Janet, keep me posted on any developments."  
"Yes, sir." Janet acknowledged, then turned to return to the room to attend to Jack.  
"I'm going to go outside and see if I can find Daniel. Hopefully if I let him know that Jack has been revived it'll calm him down a little."  
"Indeed. Go and find Daniel Jackson. Later we must speak." Teal'c acknowledged.  
"Sure. We'll talk later, Teal'c. I promise." Sam said as she turned and headed through the corridor, looking for Daniel.  
  
* * * * *  
  
A few minutes later, Sam caught up with Daniel outside the SGC. He was sitting on the hillside, looking absolutely lost, and he stood when he saw her approaching.  
"There you are. I've been looking for you everywhere." Sam breathed as she walked up to Daniel.  
"Well, here I am. Sorry I ran out like that but I just couldn't take it back there. So, what happened?" Daniel asked, terrified of what Sam was going to say next.  
"Jack's alive. Janet was able to stabilize his condition." Sam said softly as Daniel collapsed to his knees, completely relieved.  
"Thank God. What caused that to happen? Does Janet have any idea?" Daniel asked as Sam knelt down in front of him.  
"She said it was a reaction to the pain medication that he was being given. They've changed that to something a lot less dangerous."  
"Oh. Well, I'm just relieved that I didn't kill him."  
When Daniel said this, Sam took his face in her hands and looked into his eyes, seeing the worry and turmoil housed there. She was getting even more worried about him.  
"Daniel, you can't keep doing this to yourself. When I tell you that you aren't to blame for what happened, you have to believe me. Jack would ring your neck if he heard you talking like this, not to mention how insulted he'd be. If Jack hadn't lunged for you and knocked you out of the way when that statue fell, you would have been killed. He tried to get clear too but there just wasn't enough time. What happened was just a tragic accident, no one was to blame for it except the Goa'uld who brought that thing down in the first place. Teal'c and I don't blame you for this and I know Jack doesn't blame you either. When he recovers, he'll tell you that himself."  
"I hope that can happen soon. I know that no one blames me for this but I can't help but blame myself and feel that if I had been paying more attention to my surroundings then none of this would be happening. I know that sounds crazy, but it's just how I feel. It breaks my heart to think of Jack lying in the infirmary in a coma. This isn't how it was supposed to happen, Sam." Daniel whispered as Sam wrapped her arms around him gently and he rested his head on her shoulder, accepting a link to her strength.  
"It's not crazy at all, Daniel. If I had been in your shoes yesterday, I'd probably be saying the same thing right now. It's okay to hurt, just don't beat yourself up over something that you aren't responsible for." Sam reassured him. She just sat there with Daniel on the hill for a long moment, holding him and lending him some of her strength to try to mend his shattered heart. "Come on, let's get back inside. Teal'c is waiting." 


	5. Houseguests

Chapter 5: Houseguests  
  
When Sam and Daniel reached the infirmary, they found Teal'c sitting there, waiting anxiously for their return. Daniel approached his Jaffa friend and offered him a faint smile.  
"Thanks for holding me back earlier, Teal'c. I wasn't thinking clearly for obvious reasons. I owe you."  
"You owe me nothing, Daniel Jackson. I was looking out for you because you are my friend and have always helped me." Teal'c answered.  
"Anything happen while I was gone?" Sam asked.  
"There has been no change."  
A few minutes later, Janet came up and approached them. Daniel noticed that she looked very tired but unwilling to give up.  
"Why don't you three go and get some rest. There's nothing more you can do here for now. I'll call you if anything changes."  
"That's probably a good idea. Sam, why don't you and Teal'c crash at my place tonight. It's closer to the SGC so we can get back here quick if need be."  
"Okay. That way we can keep each other company too."  
"Indeed. Companionship is crucial in hard times."  
"Okay. I'll call you guys at Daniel's if I need you." Janet said as Daniel pulled her away momentarily.  
"Janet, I'm sorry that I came at you like that earlier. It's just that I was upset and I have lots of things going through my head right now that I need to sort out but that's no excuse for the way I acted. It was totally out of line and I apologize for that."  
"You don't need to apologize to me. I understand why you reacted like that. You're understandably upset. Now, go on home and try to get some rest. You look like you need it."  
"Okay. We'll be back here first thing in the morning. Goodnight, Janet."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Thirty minutes later, the three were sitting in Daniel's kitchen having some hamburgers. None of them had eaten very much over the past couple of days and they needed the nourishment. Daniel was glad to have them there because he didn't particularly want to be by himself.  
"You look thoughtful, my friend." Teal'c remarked.  
"My mind was just wandering a little, I guess. I really appreciate you guys being here. The support you're giving me helps a great deal."  
"We wouldn't be anywhere else." Sam smiled, resting her hand on Daniel's arm.  
After dinner, Daniel helped Sam and Teal'c to get settled and then they all decided to say goodnight and try to get some sleep. For a long time, Daniel lay on his bed staring at the ceiling trying to relax. This seemed impossible, however, in light of the present situation. A few minutes later, he heard his bedroom door squeak open slightly.  
"Daniel? Are you awake?"  
"Yeah, I can't sleep. Come in, Sam."  
"Okay. I think I'll keep you company for a while."  
"Good, because I don't think I'll get any sleep tonight. I can't even manage to relax at all."  
"I could try to help you relax if you want me to."  
"That would be nice but I don't see how you could."  
"I can give you a back massage. That type of thing always helps me to relax." Sam whispered.  
"Thanks, Sam. I think that would help a little." Daniel agreed. He rolled onto his stomach and rested his head on his arms as Sam came and sat on the bed beside him.  
"This is exactly what you need to relax you. You're very tense, Daniel." Sam observed as she began slowly massaging the tense muscles in Daniel's back and shoulders.  
"I think you're right. This is exactly what I needed. I feel better already. This is very relaxing." Daniel muttered and gave an exhausted sigh as Sam began working the tension out of the base of his neck.  
Before Daniel knew what was happening, Sam had managed to relax him to the point where he was beginning to become sleepy. His eyes were growing increasingly heavy and he knew he wasn't going to last much longer at this rate. He was already beginning to doze, he could feel it. He tried to stay awake but his lack of sufficient rest over the past couple of days began to defeat him. He was simply too exhausted, so Daniel finally gave in and closed his eyes. His breathing grew slow and even as he slipped into a comfortable sleep under Sam's gentle touch.  
Sam continued to massage Daniel's shoulders for a while longer and as she did, she realized that all of his tension was gone and he seemed completely relaxed. Then she looked up to where Daniel had his head resting on his arm and noticed that his eyes were closed and he had a peaceful expression on his face.  
"Daniel?" Sam whispered, then smiled as she realized that he was as relaxed as he could get. He had fallen asleep. So she placed his head onto his pillow and laid a blanket over him. Then she bent over Daniel and placed a gentle kiss on his head. "Just sleep now, Daniel. You need the rest."  
When she left Daniel asleep in his bed, Sam walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water. As she did this, Teal'c noticed her from where he sat on the couch and spoke softly to her.  
"You have looked in on Daniel Jackson." Teal'c asked, a little concerned.  
"Yeah. Daniel's finally asleep. He said he couldn't bring himself to relax so I gave him a massage and it eased his tension and eventually put him to sleep. I don't think he even knows I left the room. I hope that he'll sleep for a while because he really need the rest."  
"Indeed. He appeared to be tired."  
"He was completely dead on his feet. If only that were the least of his worries. He's completely heartbroken right now, Teal'c. He blames himself for what happened to Jack and it's tearing him up inside." Sam whispered.  
"Daniel Jackson is not to blame for the current predicament we find ourselves in. O'Neill made the decision to do what needed to be done." Teal'c was totally taken aback by this news.  
"I know. That's what I keep telling him. I think what he needs, though, is for Jack to recover and tell Daniel from his own mouth that he isn't responsible."  
"Indeed. May I pose another question to you, Major Carter?"  
"Of course."  
"You have deep feelings for Daniel Jackson, do you not? I ask because I have noticed signs over the past days."  
"It's like you read my mind, Teal'c. I do have feelings for Daniel. Don't get me wrong, all three of you guys mean so very much to me, but it's different with him. Daniel just makes me feel totally at ease, like I can be myself around him. It kills me to see how much he's hurting right now." Sam whispered as Teal'c hugged her.  
"The Jaffa are not mind readers, we are simply a very observant race."  
"Well, I think I'm going to get some sleep, too. Goodnight, Teal'c."  
"Sleep well, Major Carter."  
Before she went to bed, Sam looked in on Daniel to make sure that he was all right. After assuring that he was still resting comfortably, she went into the guest room and climbed into bed. She fell asleep thinking about her conversation with Teal'c and wishing she could find a way to heal Daniel's broken heart. 


	6. Encouraging News

Chapter 6: Encouraging News  
  
At around 6:00 the next morning, Daniel was jostled out of a fitful slumber by the sound of his telephone ringing. He opened his eyes and fumbled for the phone. Finally, he located the handset and turned it on.  
"Daniel Jackson." Daniel said sleepily into the handset.  
"Daniel, it's Janet. I'm sorry to wake you."  
"No, it's okay, Janet. What's up?"  
"When I was checking Jack's vitals this morning, the brain monitor had risen back to a normal range and it has held stable for three hours now. I don't want to be too confident at this point, but I think that Jack's brain has totally come around. If this progress keeps up, it's possible that Jack may come out of the coma before too long." Janet explained.  
"Whoa, that's great. Let me wake Sam and Teal'c and we'll be on our way over. See you soon." Daniel said as he hung the receiver up and fumbled with his glasses, coming totally awake. First, he went into the living room and tried to rouse Teal'c, who was in a meditative state.  
"Teal'c. Hey, snap out of it, Teal'c." Daniel said hurriedly, shaking his friend's shoulder. Teal'c opened his eyes and looked into Daniel's face with confusion.  
"What is wrong, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked.  
"Janet just called. Jack has taken a turn for the better. We need to get back to the SGC as quick as possible. Get ready and I'll go wake Sam."  
Daniel walked quickly back to the guest room and approached the bed where Sam slept. He sat down on the bed beside her and shook her gently.  
"Sam. You have the wake up."  
"Mmm. Daniel? What's the matter?" Sam sat up quickly and grabbed hold of Daniel's arm.  
"Janet called about five minutes ago. She said that Jack's brain activity is back in a normal, stable range and she told me that if that keeps up, there's a chance that Jack may come out of the coma soon. We need to get back to the SGC. Teal'c is already getting ready. Hurry up, okay." Daniel said as he left her to get ready and hurried back into the living room.  
"I'm gonna make a quick pot of coffee while we're waiting on Sam to get ready. You want anything, Teal'c."  
"I require nothing at this moment, Daniel Jackson. If I may make an observation, you seem to be much more like yourself this morning."  
"It's because I know that Jack is showing signs of recovering. Of course, I think the fact that I got a good night's sleep and actually slept through the night has something to do with it, too."  
"Indeed. For Earth people, sleep is important for daily function."  
"You got that right." Daniel smiled as he poured himself a cup of coffee and came to sit on the couch beside Teal'c.  
"May I speak to you of something, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked suddenly.  
"Yeah. What was it that you wanted to talk about?  
"I have heard that you blame yourself for what happened to O'Neill. I also picked it up during my meditation. Why do you feel this way, my friend? O'Neill made the decision to do what needed to be done to save you and attempt to keep the team together. I would have done much the same. What occurred that day was indeed unfortunate but you are not to blame. No one is."  
"I wish I could believe that, Teal'c. I really do but if I had been paying attention to what was going on around me instead of something that had no relevance to anything at all, then I would have been able to get clear of the danger on my own without putting Jack in danger as well."  
"You have risked your life to save others many times and have once even given of your life for another, Daniel Jackson. Why do you not believe that you are worthy of someone saving yours?" Teal'c asked pointedly.  
"You're right. That doesn't do much for lessening my guilt right at this point but it does make me feel a lot better. Thanks Teal'c. I guess what I really need to beat this is for Jack to wake up so I can talk to him about this."  
"Indeed." Teal'c relented, placing a hand on Daniel's shoulder as Sam emerged from the bedroom.  
"Hey. You two ready." Sam asked.  
"Yeah, let's get going." Daniel said as they headed out and hurried back to the SGC.  
  
* * * * *  
  
A short time later, the three appeared in the SGC infirmary and waited anxiously for news of how things were going. It wasn't long before Janet found them.  
"Hey. There you are. I have some even better news than when I called earlier. Colonel O'Neill has been trying to open his eyes. I noticed that not long after I talked to Daniel this morning. After I finished checking on him, I tried to call back but you guys were already gone so I decided to wait on you."  
"Can we go in and check on him ourselves?" Sam asked.  
"Yes, but one at a time. He's still fighting to come back to us and we don't need to jeopardize that."  
"You go ahead, Sam. I need to build up some nerve." Daniel said nervously.  
"Okay. What about you, Teal'c?"  
"Go ahead, Major Carter. For the time being, I shall remain here with Daniel Jackson."  
"Right. See you later."  
  
* * * * *  
  
As she stepped into Jack's room, Sam was overcome with nerves. It hit her like a pile of bricks to see one of her closest friends lying motionless on the bed. She found it hard to believe that this was the same Jack O'Neill who just a few days before had been ragging Daniel for working himself to the point of exhaustion right before they were to start a mission. Sam smiled as she remembered that day. Then she walked over to the bed and softly rested her hand on Jack's arm, listening to the beep of the monitors.  
"Hey, Jack. It's Sam. We sure miss you around here. You need to come back to us. What are we supposed to do without our leader, huh? You have your team here for you, Jack. Just like you're always there for all of us. Actually, Teal'c and I stayed the night at Daniel's last night so we could be closer to the SGC in case you needed us. Please be strong. Come back to us, Jack." Sam whispered.  
A few minutes later, Sam felt Jack's arm move under her hand and she jumped back, startled, as Colonel Jack O'Neill opened his eyes for the first time in three days and looked straight at her.  
"Carter?" Jack mumbled, blinking in confusion.  
"Yeah, I'm here, Jack."  
"Where am I? What the hell happened?"  
"You're in the infirmary, Jack. We were off world to rendezvous with the Russian gate team on PS3-97K when we were ambushed by the Goa'uld. The Russian team was wiped out and after we defeated the band of Goa'uld when we were preparing to head back through the gate two Goa'uld operatives blasted the base out from under a statue near the Stargate and it was falling toward Daniel. You knocked Daniel out of the way but you weren't able to get clear in time and you were hit by the stone statue. You've been in a coma for three days, Jack."  
"Oh, yeah. Where are Teal'c and Daniel? Is Daniel okay?"  
"Teal'c and Daniel are right outside. Physically, Daniel's fine. You got him clear and he was able to help Teal'c bring you back through the gate." Sam said, still numb with relief. "Wait a second, Carter. What do you mean by 'Physically, Daniel's fine.' Is there anything that I should know about?"  
"Well, Daniel's been having a really tough time dealing with what happened on the mission. You saved his life and because of that, he feels like he's responsible for you having been hurt. It's been totally tearing him up inside." Sam explained sadly.  
"That's ridiculous. If I hadn't acted when I did, Daniel would have been killed. I did what I would have done for any of you. Daniel shouldn't feel like he's responsible for what happened because he isn't. If anyone is to blame, it's the Goa'uld for shooting down that damn statue in the first place."  
"I know. That's what Teal'c and I have been trying to tell him ever since we came back through the gate that day. Honestly, I think that deep inside himself, Daniel knows that as well, but what I think he needs is to hear that from you before he'll believe it."  
Before Jack could have a chance to respond, Janet poked her head through the door and was pleased to see Jack conscious and carrying on a conversation with Sam.  
"Colonel. I'm glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?" Janet asked.  
"Well, now that you ask, Doc, I feel like my leg is about to fall off my body."  
"That's because your leg was badly broken when you were hit by the statue. I can get you a painkiller to take the edge off of that so you can rest."  
"Thanks. But I need to know how long I'll be in here. When can I get back to work?" Jack asked, causing Sam to smile in amazement.  
"Well, if you appear to be okay, I can let you go back home hopefully sometime tomorrow. Unfortunately, due to your broken leg, you'll be in a cast for a while. I'm afraid you won't be going off world for at least six weeks."  
"Oh, great. How am I supposed to keep an eye on my team when they're off world in danger if I'm laid up here?"  
"Just relax, Jack. General Hammond has put us on hold until you're recovered. Any missions that we were going to be assigned are being delegated among the other SG teams." Sam explained as Janet gave Jack a painkiller.  
"Now you guys are going to be sitting around with nothing to do for six weeks."  
"Don't worry about that. We were due for some downtime anyway. Besides, it's not like Daniel, Teal'c and I would head off world without you." Sam said as she noticed that the painkiller had taken full effect, and Jack had dozed off while she was talking. She just shook her head and slipped quietly out the door and went to find Daniel and Teal'c.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Daniel and Teal'c were in Daniel's office working on an ancient language of some type that was in his e-mail, when Sam came in the door. As soon as they noticed her, the two men immediately dropped what they were doing.  
"What is the matter, Major Carter?" Teal'c asked.  
"I have something great to tell you. Jack's out of the coma. He regained consciousness about five minutes ago. He's asleep right now because Janet gave him something for the pain in his leg."  
"Are you serious?" Daniel exclaimed.  
"Yes, I'm very serious." Sam confirmed as Daniel proceeded to leap over his desk and lift her from the floor, spinning her in a circle.  
"I'm going to go in and keep an eye on Jack. When he wakes up, he and I need to have a talk."  
"Teal'c and I will go and let General Hammond know what happened."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Sam and Teal'c hurried to General Hammond's office and were so anxious to tell him the good news that they didn't even knock. Given the situation, they doubted it would be frowned upon if they were unannounced.  
"General."  
"Teal'c, Major Carter. Is something wrong?" General Hammond asked as he looked up and acknowledged the two.  
"O'Neill is no longer unconscious." Teal'c announced with a wide smile.  
"When did this happen?"  
"About fifteen minutes ago, now. I was sitting with Jack and he suddenly woke up and looked straight at me." Sam explained.  
"This is fantastic! I'll have to go down to the infirmary and look in on Jack later."  
"I'd wait a little while, sir. He's asleep right now and Daniel went to sit with him. Those two have some things to talk about when Jack wakes up."  
"Of course. Thank you for filling me in on what happened. You two should head back to the infirmary now to lend Jack some strength."  
"Yes, sir." Sam acknowledged and Teal'c simply nodded his head in acquiescence.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Meanwhile, down in the infirmary, Daniel steadied his nerves and walked into the room where Jack was sleeping. He was extremely relieved that Jack was going to recover, but it still hit Daniel weird to see his friend in the infirmary. He quietly pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down to wait for Jack to awaken so that they could talk.  
After a few minutes of listening to Jack's steady breathing and the quiet beeping of the monitors, these sounds began to have a lulling effect on Daniel and he felt himself growing tired. Though he tried to fight against it, his eyes were becoming rather heavy.  
"I think Jack has a good idea here. Maybe I could just rest my eyes for a minute." Daniel thought to himself as he yawned and closed his eyes, bringing his head to rest on his hand. A few moments later, he was dozing at Jack's bedside. 


	7. Nightmares and Reassurance

Chapter 7: Nightmares and Reassurance  
  
Two hours later, Jack awoke and noticed that Daniel was sleeping in a chair by his bed. He smiled at this sight and laughed quietly.  
"You never learn, do you, Daniel?" Jack thought to himself as he leaned back to stare at the ceiling.  
About five minutes later, Janet opened the door quietly to check in on Jack before she left for the evening. She was mildly surprised when she noticed Daniel sleeping in the chair. Just as she was about to wake him and send him home, Janet was startled when a hand grasped her arm.  
"Don't wake him up." Jack insisted quietly.  
"Colonel, you need to rest." Janet pointed out.  
"I know, but from the looks of it so does Daniel. Carter told me earlier that he's emotionally drained. Just let him sleep, Janet."  
"Well, he does seem to be resting pretty well and he looked exhausted earlier. All right, I guess I don't see any real problem with letting Daniel stay here tonight. He'll probably get a better night's sleep if he knows he can be nearby. Besides, if I did wake him, he'd probably go and sleep in his office anyhow."  
"Thanks, Janet. I'll see you in the morning. Then we can talk about getting me out of here."  
"We'll see. Get some rest and we can talk in the morning. Goodnight, Jack." Janet whispered as she slipped quietly out the door to head for her car, leaving Daniel to sleep where he was.  
  
Daniel was dreaming. In his subconscious, he had traveled back three days as he slept. He was dreaming of their failed mission a few days earlier on PS3-97K that had lead to the situation that Daniel had been struggling with.  
They had just rendezvoused with the Russian gate team and were preparing to exchange the necessary information when energy bolts were suddenly blazing around them out of nowhere. The Russian team had all been killed before they could reach cover but SG-1 had been fortunate. They had barely managed to defeat the Goa'uld that had attacked them, and they were trying to figure out what to do next.  
"Come on, people. Let's get back to the gate. Carter, dial us out of here. Let's go home." Jack said.  
"Yes, sir." Sam agreed.  
While the other three were waiting for Sam to dial the gate code that would take them back to the SGC, Daniel noticed something lying in the dust that caught his eye.  
"I wonder what this is. I should take this back to my office so I can analyze it properly." Daniel thought, just as he saw Teal'c raise his weapon and heard the sound of rock being destroyed by an energy blast. He looked up in shock as he saw the massive statue falling toward him.  
"Daniel, look out!" Jack shouted and lunged in his friend's direction and shoved him out of the statue's path. He was just beginning to roll free himself when the statue crashed down. Jack braced himself and made sure Daniel was safe as the statue struck him, knocking him unconscious and burying him in a mess of stone and marble.  
Daniel had just gotten his breath back after he hit the ground with a decent force, and he got to his knees and managed to find his glasses. He shook his head to clear it and then he suddenly realized what had just happened.  
"Jack?" Daniel called and then froze in horror as he turned around and noticed Jack's arm coming from under the remains of the demolished statue. "Teal'c! Get over here and give me a hand! Jack's injured!"  
"What has happened, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked as he ran over and began helping Daniel move the debris.  
"Jack pushed me out of the way of this statue when it was falling toward me. I thought Jack was clear as well but once I caught my breath, I realized that he didn't make it out of the way in time."  
"Daniel? Are you guys okay?" Sam called.  
"Sam, dial the gate. We need to get out of here now. Jack needs help." Daniel shouted to her as Sam ran to the dialing control while Teal'c and Daniel lifted Jack from the rubble and followed.  
As the wormhole opened and they prepared to step through the Stargate, there was only one thing going through Daniel Jackson's mind. This was not supposed to happen.  
  
Jack was looking at the television when he heard Daniel tossing restlessly in his sleep and mumbling softly. It startled him to suddenly see his friend in such obvious distress.  
"No. This isn't supposed to happen this way. Can't be." Daniel moaned in his sleep.  
"Daniel. Hey, Daniel, wake up. You're dreaming." Jack said quietly, reaching out a hand to gently shake Daniel's arm. Suddenly, Daniel's eyes snapped open and he sat straight up, breathing heavily and looking slightly pale.  
"Jack? What happened?" Daniel asked, confused.  
"You were having a nightmare. You all right?"  
"Uh, yeah, I think. It seemed so real, though."  
"Why don't you tell me what happened." Jack urged, placing a hand on Daniel's shoulder.  
"I was dreaming about our last mission that lead up to this situation here. It was so real that I was basically reliving it all over again. It was just as terrifying a second time." Daniel explained shakily.  
"But that's all it was Daniel. It was just a dream. Things are almost back to normal now. Try to calm down a little."  
"I'm glad to see you're doing better. It terrifies me to think that we almost lost you at one point. This wasn't how everything was supposed to happen. I'm so sorry, Jack."  
"What are you sorry for, Daniel? You didn't shoot that statue down, the Goa'uld did. If I hadn't reacted when I did, you would have been killed. The only thing I cared about when that thing came down on top of me was making sure that you were safe."  
"But if I had been more alert to what was going on around me instead of some artifact I was trying to pick up to bring back for study, then I would have seen what was going on and could have gotten out of there in time without having to place you in any danger. I almost single handedly tore the whole team apart." Daniel said softly.  
"Damn it, Daniel. Listen to what I'm saying to you. I made the decision to shove you clear of danger. You didn't make me do that. I also know that if they had been nearer to you than I was, Carter or Teal'c would have done the exact same thing I did. It could just as easily be you in my position, Daniel, because another thing that I know to be true is that if it had been any of us in your position, you would have risked your life to save us. Don't blame yourself for this, Daniel, because you aren't responsible. You didn't blast that thing down. You didn't almost tear the team apart either." Jack shouted in frustration and emphasis of his point, causing Daniel to jump.  
"What do you mean, I didn't almost tear the team apart?"  
"Well, I'm not dead yet, am I? The team's still together and we're going to stay that way. It's going to take a lot more than this to stop Jack O'Neill."  
"At least it's good to know you're getting back to your old self. I appreciate the reassurance, Jack. I think the reason I felt like that to begin with was because I had to watch Janet try to save you and know that there was absolutely nothing I could do." Daniel smiled.  
"Well, now you know how we felt that day we stood in the infirmary and watched you die right there in front of us. But even then you came back. There has to be some higher reason that we are meant to stay together because I don't think we could get rid of each other even if we wanted to."  
"Yeah, I think you're right. Actually, this is going to sound a little selfish of me to say, but when I made the decision to ascend, I didn't really think of how it would affect you, Sam and Teal'c if I was gone. I know I came to help you when you were in trouble but I'm sure it wasn't the same as actually having me around."  
"It doesn't matter anymore because you're home now where you belong. We don't hold that decision against you even though we missed you more than you'll even know. When you were given that decision, you had slipped into a coma and even though Jacob was attempting to heal the damage that was done to you, there was no guarantee of that. You did what was best for you at the time." Jack smiled, realizing now more than ever how good it was to have Daniel back where he truly belonged, back with SG-1, back with his family.  
"You know, Jack. I did find something on PS3-97K that might be of interest to the Stargate program. It was an artifact that appeared to come from an older civilization. Once you're back on active duty, I'd like if you would come back there with me so we can try to find this artifact. I need to study it a little more in depth before I can determine its significance but I think it will prove to be of some importance." Daniel pointed out, changing the subject.  
"Yeah, that sounds like an idea. Once Janet clears me for duty, you and I will go and talk with Hammond and see if we can get clearance to return to PS3-97K and collect this artifact of yours."  
"Thank you, Jack."  
"What for?"  
"For always being such a good friend to me. I don't think we could hold the team together without you. Not to mention what it would do to the three of us individually. I don't know if I should tell you this on the risk of you thinking I've completely lost my mind but at that one point I mentioned earlier where we almost lost you, I nearly attacked Janet. Actually, I think I probably would have if Teal'c hadn't held me back. Then I turned and ran out of the base. I didn't even know that you were still alive until Sam came and found me a few minutes later and told me."  
"Anytime, Daniel. For the record, though, I don't think you've lost your mind. If the roles were reversed, I seriously doubt even Teal'c would have been able to hold me back. If you don't mind my asking, if you were feeling like you were, how in the world did you manage to muddle through these past three days?" Jack asked curiously.  
"Actually it was Sam and Teal'c. Well, Sam mostly. They helped me keep it together and maintain a firm head on my shoulders when I thought I was going to completely lose it. I don't think we truly realize how much our friends mean to us until the point when we really need them."  
Jack and Daniel sat talking for the rest of the night, just keeping each other company. Daniel was extremely relieved to know that Jack was indeed going to make a full recovery and within a few weeks, everything would be as it was before. 


	8. Homecoming

Chapter 8: Homecoming  
  
At about 7:00 the next morning, General Hammond walked down to the infirmary to check on Jack's condition for himself. He found the room where Jack was recovering and opened the door quietly.  
"Good morning, people. Jack, I'm glad to see you're awake and feeling better." Hammond smiled as he stepped through the door and saw Jack awake and talking to Daniel, who was sitting in a chair next to the bed.  
"Morning, General." Jack responded. Daniel turned around and gave his chief commanding officer a tired smile.  
"How are you feeling this morning, Daniel?"  
"A little tired, General, but other than that I feel better than I was. It's a little rough running on the approximately only 9 hours of sleep I've had over the past three days." Daniel said sheepishly, noticing the shock in Jack's eyes.  
"Jack, I've heard that Janet says you'll be away from active duty for a period of six weeks. I placed SG-1 on stand down until you're back on your feet."  
"Yeah. Carter told me about that yesterday. At least I won't have to worry about my team getting into danger without me there to help out." Jack acknowledged.  
"Jack, for the next six weeks the only thing I want you to worry about is relaxing and allowing yourself to heal."  
"Understood, sir."  
"Good. I'll go now and allow you to rest a little." Hammond said as he turned to the door.  
"I'll walk you out. Be back in a minute, Jack." Daniel offered, standing up and following the General out of the room.  
As Daniel and General Hammond were talking in the hallway, Janet walked by the two and gave them a smile, which was returned as she walked by.  
"Good morning, Colonel. You seem to be doing much better this morning." Janet said brightly as she walked into Jack's room.  
"I feel a lot better except that I'm about to go crazy here. How about letting me go home today so I can sleep in my own bed. What do you say, Janet?" Jack said hopefully.  
"Well, Colonel O'Neill, I don't see why I couldn't release you to go home today. But I'll only do it under one condition."  
"What condition?" Jack asked. At this point, he was willing to agree to just about anything if it meant he got to go home.  
"I'll only clear you for release if you have someone drive you home tonight and stay with you. You've had a very serious injury and I don't want to take any chances." Janet insisted.  
"If you need someone to take Jack home and keep an eye on him tonight, then I'm your man." Daniel spoke up from where he leaned wearily in the doorway.  
"See, there you go, Doc. Daniel's agreed to take me home and stay at the house with me tonight. So how about it? Can I go home?"  
"All right. I'll clear your release with General Hammond."  
"Great. Thanks." Jack smiled gratefully and then turned to Daniel. "Daniel, can I get you to do something for me. I need you to go to my office and get my keys out of my desk. Since I won't be able to get my truck tonight, I don't want to take any chances with it."  
"Yeah, sure Jack. That way you'll have time to let Janet prepare you for release." Daniel smiled, turning and heading down the corridor toward Jack's office.  
"Janet, can I talk to you for a minute? I need to discuss something with you. Since Daniel is going to be crashing at my house tonight, do you think you can discreetly give me something to slip him to make sure he gets a good sound sleep? I heard him tell Hammond earlier that he's only had about 9 hours of sleep in the past three days. He's got to be exhausted. Can you do that for me?"  
"Sure. Actually I was thinking of that very idea myself." Janet agreed as she walked to a cabinet on the other side of the room. She took a small package out of it and handed it to Jack. "Here. Give him both of these at some point tonight. That should be enough to make him sleep for hours."  
"Thanks."  
"Okay. I'll go and inform the General of your release. You need to hurry and get ready to head home and stash that packet before Daniel comes back."  
After a few minutes of effort getting pants on over the cast on his leg, Jack managed to get back into his normal clothes. He grabbed the crutches that Janet had issued to him and hobbled over to his mission bag that lay in the corner. He carefully slipped the packet into it and went back to sit on the bed just as Daniel returned.  
"What are you doing, Jack?"  
"I was just getting the hang of walking on these crutches. They'll be my legs for the next several weeks so I might as well get used to it."  
"Okay. Well here are your keys." Daniel said as he handed the keys to Jack, who dropped them into the side pocket of his mission bag. "You ready to go."  
"You bet. Let's get the hell out of here."  
"Here, let me get your bag for you."  
Jack and Daniel slowly made it out of the SGC to Daniel's car. After taking a few minutes to get settled, the two set off for Jack's house.  
"I really appreciate you doing this for me, Daniel. I don't mean to put you out of your way."  
"You don't need to apologize to me, Jack. That's what friends do for each other. If our positions were reversed, I know you'd do the same for me." Daniel smiled at his friend.  
"You've got that right. You are one in a million, Daniel."  
"Thanks."

When Daniel pulled his car into Jack's driveway, he helped his friend out of the car and they walked, or in Jack's case hobbled, into the house. Once inside, the two men sat in the living room and turned on the television. For a couple of hours they watched a baseball game seeming content to enjoy each other's company, Daniel feeling extremely relieved to see Jack looking so much better.  
"So, Daniel. You wanna get a pizza or something. I'm starving."  
"Uh, yeah. Sure, Jack. Whatever you want."  
"Great. I'll order the pizza and we'll have something edible inside of an hour." Jack quipped, causing Daniel to smile.  
"I can't begin to tell you how totally relieved I am that you're getting back to normal, Jack. You have no idea how worried we were about you."  
"Come on, Daniel. You know you can't get rid of me that easily. I just keep on coming."  
"You'll never know how thankful we are for that." Daniel said quietly as the doorbell rang. "I think I need to go get the door."  
After Daniel paid the delivery guy and got the pizza, he walked back into the living room, placed the pizza on the table and sat down across from Jack.  
"Seems like I'm having a little déjà vu here. This is weird."  
"What in the world are you talking about?"  
"Huh? Oh, never mind, Jack. I'll tell you later." Daniel said distantly, leading Jack to drop the subject.  
A short time later, the two had finished their dinner and were sitting back in the living room. Jack noticed that Daniel seemed particularly stressed for obvious reasons and he was thinking about the packet concealed in the pocket of his mission bag that was sitting by the kitchen door.  
"Hey. You all right, Daniel? You seem a little wound up." Jack asked, concerned.  
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. It's just that I've been under tremendous stress for the past few days. Probably just getting to me now that I've had the time to actually sit quietly and think about it."  
"Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you head to my guest bathroom and catch a hot shower. Maybe it'll help you relax and wind down."  
"Actually, that sounds like a pretty good idea, Jack. Thanks."  
"While I'm waiting, can I fix you a drink or something?"  
"Yeah, I usually drink a glass of milk before I go to bed. Helps me get to sleep better."  
"I think I can handle that." Jack smiled as Daniel disappeared into his guest bathroom.  
Jack waited until he heard the water stop before heading to the kitchen. He first grabbed the packet out of his mission bag and then hobbled to the kitchen counter. He gently pounded the two tablets into powder with the blunt end of a butter knife. After Jack had accomplished this, he got out a glass and dropped the powder into the bottom of it before filling it with milk. Finally, he got a glass of water for himself and went over to sit on the couch just as his guest reemerged. Daniel had changed into a t-shirt and cutoff shorts and seemed much more relaxed.  
"Feel better now?"  
"Yeah, I do actually." Daniel smiled as Jack handed him the glass of milk. "Thanks a lot."  
"No problem."  
"If you don't mind my asking, what were you doing in here? I heard a banging sound and I just wondered if you were okay."  
"Oh, I was just breaking up some ice to put in my water." Jack explained quickly, raising his glass. "Ice crusher broke last week."  
"Ah. I see." Daniel said as he drank the whole glass of milk in one gulp. "That's much better."  
Jack then turned on a late night comedy show for the two of them to watch for a while.  
  
About fifteen minutes later, Daniel began to feel a little drowsy. He tried to shake his head to clear the fog forming there but found it felt too heavy for his shoulders. It seemed that he was floating off of the couch where he was lying.  
"Something wrong, Daniel?" Jack asked, knowing the answer perfectly well.  
"Not wrong, necessarily. It's just that I'm really sleepy all of the sudden. My head feels to heavy for my shoulders and it's getting harder to keep my eyes open." Daniel said with a yawn.  
"Well, I did hear you telling Hammond this morning that you've been running on 9 hours of sleep for the past three days. That's nowhere near enough to function on, Daniel. Your body's just trying to catch you up. Why don't you close your eyes for a minute."  
"I guess I could give my eyes a little break. I didn't realize I was so tired. I guess adrenaline cuts a person's need for sleep." Daniel mumbled as he rested his head on an oversized pillow on the couch. Then he removed his glasses, placing them on the coffee table, and allowed his eyes to slide closed. Within a few moments, unknown to him, the drug Jack had slipped into the milk took its full effect and Daniel had sunk into a sound sleep.  
Jack turned his attention from the television at the end of the show he had been watching, only to be greeted by soft, even breathing coming from the couch. He looked over to the direction of the sound and shook his head at what he saw. The pills he had ground up from that packet had really packed a punch and Daniel was sleeping very deeply. Jack pulled the quilt off of the back of the couch and spread it over Daniel, being extremely careful not to make any unnecessary movement that may in any way disturb his slumbering friend. "Get some rest, Danny. After the time you've had over the past few days, you really need it." Jack whispered as he grabbed his crutches, hobbled down the hall to his bedroom, crawled carefully into bed and fell asleep within five minutes.


	9. The Next Morning

Chapter 9: The Next Morning  
  
At 9:00 the next morning, Jack O'Neill opened his eyes and sat up in his bed. He was extremely rested and felt good after getting a good night's sleep in his own bed. After a few minutes, Jack decided to go out into the kitchen and make himself some coffee.  
Jack hobbled into the living room on his crutches and decided to check on his houseguest before making the coffee so he approached the couch quietly and smiled. Daniel Jackson was still locked in deep slumber and his face wore a peaceful expression. Jack was glad to notice that Daniel no longer looked worried or troubled. He then quietly went into the kitchen to make his coffee so he could let Daniel sleep.  
"Well, I guess my plan worked out pretty good. Whatever Janet gave me to slip him really packed a good punch. Daniel doesn't look like he's even so much as moved once all night. Oh well, at least he's getting a decent sleep." Jack thought to himself as he got his cup of coffee and sat down at the table and read through his mail from the past three days, busying himself with bills and junk mail as he waited for Daniel to awaken.  
  
About an hour later, Daniel stirred and gave a small yawn as the warmth of wakefulness flowed into him and his senses returned. He slowly opened his eyes and was briefly disoriented until he took a good look around at his surroundings and remembered what had happened the day before and that he had spent the night sleeping on Jack's couch. He sat up and noticed Jack sitting at the kitchen table.  
"Morning, Jack." Daniel said sleepily.  
"Hey, Daniel. Were you comfortable enough sleeping on my couch last night?"  
"Yeah. Actually, I was so beat last night, having slept on the couch here felt more like I was sleeping on the clouds. To be honest with you I was so exhausted I could have slept anywhere. I remember grabbing a shower last night and then we were watching television having something to drink. After that I remember you saying something about my body wanting to catch me up on my sleep and that must have been when I dropped off because I don't remember anything after that."  
"Well, that's understandable. You were wrecked with exhaustion. I'm actually surprised you stayed awake as long as you did. Looks like it helped. You needed a good night's sleep." Jack observed.  
"What time is it?"  
"It's about 10:00."  
"Huh? I can't believe it. It can't possibly be that late." Daniel said, shocked.  
"Well, it is. You've been sleeping like a baby for over twelve hours. Anyhow, you want something to eat. I'm starving and I was fixing to throw something together."  
"I'll help you, Jack. With a broken leg, you don't need to be rambling around the kitchen by yourself."  
Five minutes later, Jack and Daniel were sitting at the kitchen table having breakfast and talking. Both were happy to have each other's company.  
"I'm so glad you're okay, Jack. It wouldn't have been the same going through the gate without you."  
"Just like it wasn't the same continuing on without you." Jack pointed out.  
"Huh?" Daniel said, confused.  
"When you died and ascended or whatever, whenever we went through the gate on a mission, it just didn't feel right. We had a four man team and, don't get me wrong, Jonas is a great guy that brought just as much to the team, but it just seemed like something was missing. Everytime we stood before that ramp, I always thought that it wasn't right, that you should be there standing beside us."  
"Oh. I really appreciate that, Jack. But I'm back now and everything's fine."  
"I know. Let me ask you something, Daniel. When we were eating last night, you said that you thought you were having déjà vu. What were you talking about?"  
"Well, the day of the mission after we brought you back through the Stargate and Janet had you in the infirmary, I needed to get out of there so I left and went home. About an hour or so later, Sam showed up at my front door with a pizza. We were sitting in my living room eating and talking, she was trying to get me to open up to her, and then..."  
"Then what?" Jack asked, his curiosity peaked.  
"Well, at that point I kind of lost my control and completely broke down. Sam was there to hold me and reassure me that things were okay and I eventually cried myself to sleep on her shoulder that night." Daniel explained, slightly embarrassed at this confession.  
"You don't need to be embarrassed, Daniel. I don't think any less of you for that."  
"I know I said that I had only 9 hours of sleep before last night but, to be honest, if it hadn't been for Sam, I doubt I would have even slept that much."  
"Why?"  
"Well, the night before you came out of the coma, Sam and Teal'c came and stayed at my house because it's closer to the base. Anyway, that night I just wasn't able to relax and I couldn't sleep no matter how much I tried. Sam couldn't sleep either so she wanted to keep me company for a while. I told her that I couldn't seem to relax so she gave me a back massage and that made me so sleepy that I eventually dozed off. I must have been tired because I didn't wake up until the next morning when Janet called to tell us that you were getting better."  
"That was nice of her to do. It seems to me that Carter cares a hell of a lot about you, Daniel."  
"Yeah, I know. I care a lot about her, too. She's been right there for me these past couple of days when I've needed someone to lean on."  
"Have you told her that?" Jack asked.  
"No. The subject never has really come up. Do you think I should tell her?" Daniel asked.  
"Yeah, I think you should. I'd tell her if I were you."  
"Okay, when the time is right, I'll bring the subject up."  
As they were cleaning up from breakfast, Jack thought to himself that he had done a big favor for Daniel. A small beginning in repaying all the things his friend had done for him.  
  
Later that day, Daniel sat in his friend's living room thinking. Jack had nodded off on the couch after taking one of the pain pills Janet had prescribed him. Daniel was deep in thought about the conversation that he and Jack had that morning.  
"I guess Jack's right. I should tell Sam that I have feelings for her. After all, she did tell me that I shouldn't keep my feelings locked up inside. She is just so special to me that I don't want to lose out on having her in my life by scaring her off." Daniel thought as the telephone next to him began ringing. "Hello."  
"How is O'Neill doing this day?" Teal'c asked.  
"Well, Jack's asleep right now. He took one of the pills Janet gave him and those things really pack a punch. I think he'll be out for at least a couple of hours. Other than that he's doing fine. You enjoying your downtime?" Daniel whispered, keeping his voice low to avoid disturbing Jack.  
"I am glad. My downtime is going very well, Daniel Jackson. I assume that yours is much the same."  
"Yeah. Hey, can I get some advice from you, Teal'c?"  
"Indeed. What advice are you seeking?"  
"Well, I'm trying to decide whether or not I should tell someone I care for how I feel about them. The only problem is that I don't want to scare them out of my life. Should I tell them or not?"  
"You should. I know that if you speak from your heart and explain how you feel, then Major Carter will return your feelings."  
"Uh, thanks. But, Teal'c, how did you know I was talking about Sam?" Daniel asked, completely taken aback.  
"I have observed the way you behave around each other. Also I spoke with Major Carter the other night as you slept and she admitted similar feelings for you to me."  
"Oh, okay. I appreciate it, Teal'c. I need to go now before I wake Jack up. Talk to you soon." Daniel smiled as he hung up the phone.  
After Daniel hung up with Teal'c, he tried to think of what he would say to Sam when the time was right. He closed his eyes in thought, though fatigue soon found him and he allowed his head to fall to rest on the back of the chair he was sitting in, joining Jack in sleep. 


	10. Welcome Back

Chapter 10: Welcome Back  
  
Six weeks later, Colonel Jack O'Neill sat in the infirmary being examined for return to duty. He was hoping that Janet cleared him because he was beginning to get antsy to get back to work. Plus he had promised Daniel that he would go back with him to PS3-97K so they could look for the artifact that Daniel had to leave behind after the incident there.  
"Okay, Colonel. Your leg has healed fine and I don't see anything wrong with you so I'm clearing you for active duty. There is no further problem with your going off world." Janet confirmed.  
"Sweet! Thanks, Doc. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find Daniel so he and I can have a talk with Hammond to get permission for a personal mission."  
"All right. Just don't go getting into anymore trouble. I don't want to have to haul your ass back in here after I just released you. Got it?"  
"Yes ma'am." Jack saluted playfully, pivoting on his heel and heading out the door to Daniel's office.  
Jack found Daniel in his office, as he expected, bent over his keyboard, sorting through his e-mails. Jack crept quietly over and leaned in the doorway of the office.  
"Daniel. Got a minute?" Jack said, causing Daniel to jump and almost fall out of his chair.  
"Oh, hey Jack. What's up? You startled me." Daniel said, smiling as he looked up and noticed his friend standing in the doorway.  
"Guess who just got cleared for active duty."  
"That's great! I know you're more ready than the rest of us to get back to work. So, uh, Jack, are we going to talk to Hammond about going back to PS3-97K to search for that artifact that I found?"  
"That's why I'm here. Come on, let's go get clearance for this side mission." Jack grinned, draping an arm around Daniel's shoulders and leading him through the winding corridor.  
  
A few minutes later, Jack and Daniel were standing outside General Hammond's office, preparing to request permission to head off world. Jack took a deep breath, shot a glance at Daniel, and knocked on the door.  
"Come in." General Hammond acknowledged, glancing up from his paperwork. "Colonel O'Neill, Dr. Jackson. Come and sit down."  
"Good morning, General." Jack smiled.  
"I just received word that Janet cleared you for active duty. I suppose that's why you and Dr. Jackson came to talk to me, isn't it."  
"Yes, sir."  
"Actually, General, this is my idea. I just want Jack to accompany me. When we were on PS3-97K for the rendezvous mission, I noticed some kind of artifact that I believe may be beneficial to the program that we have going here. I need to examine this more but if I'm right, then my discovery may increase the range of our Stargate, allowing us to reach other gates that we never could before. Requesting permission to return to the planet to recover this artifact with Jack as my backup." Daniel broke in.  
"Permission granted. Gear up and be ready to go from the gate room at 1500 hours. Dismissed."  
"Yes, sir." Daniel acknowledged as he and Jack left to prepare for their recovery mission.  
Three hours later, Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson stood in front of the ramp to the Stargate, geared up and ready to go. All that was left was the gate address to lock in.  
"Chevron 7 locked. Establishing wormhole." The airman said.  
"Okay. SG-1 you have a go. Good luck, Dr. Jackson." General Hammond said into the speaker as Daniel and Jack stepped through the gate.  
  
Once the two emerged through the gate onto PS3-97K, Jack noticed Daniel was looking nervous and this concerned him.  
"Hey, you okay, Daniel?"  
"Uh, yeah. Let's get started. I think the item we're searching for should be over in that direction." Daniel pointed out, heading west as Jack simply shook his head and followed.  
A few minutes later, Daniel located what he was looking for and rushed over to it excitedly. He felt exhilarated at having found a terrific discovery.  
"Here it is, Jack. I found it. This is the artifact I found the other day."  
As Daniel picked up the artifact, however, the memories of that day came flooding back to him. He began shaking uncontrollably as he was assaulted by those memories. Finally, it became to much as Daniel's eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted, barely feeling Jack reach out and grab him as he collapsed.  
"Daniel! Shit! Daniel, wake up. Come on, Daniel." Jack shouted, gently slapping his friend's face in attempt to wake him. "All right, we've got to get you back through the gate. Come on."  
Jack then lifted Daniel's unconscious form from the ground and carried him to the Stargate, where he laid him back down gently so he could dial the gate and submit their iris code.  
  
"Incoming wormhole."  
"Who is it coming through, Sergeant?" Hammond asked.  
"It's SG-1's code, sir."  
"Open the iris."  
The iris of the Stargate swirled open slowly and Jack stepped through carrying Daniel, who was unconscious. Hammond hurried out of the control room to assist.  
"Get a medical team down there, now!"  
"Medical team to Stargate! Medical team to Stargate!"  
"What the hell happened, Colonel?"  
"I'm not sure, sir. We went after the artifact and once we found it, Daniel suddenly turned pale and started shaking, then he just passed out cold." Jack explained as the medical team burst through the door and rushed Daniel off to the infirmary.  
"Jack, what happened?" Sam asked as she noticed Daniel being rushed down the hall to the infirmary with Jack and General Hammond following close behind.  
"I don't have time to explain now, Carter. Just come with me."  
Once Daniel was in the infirmary under Janet's care, Jack tried to explain to everyone exactly what had happened. He was confused and very worried about what was going on.  
"Okay. This is what happened. We had stepped through the gate on PS3- 97K and Daniel and I were searching for this artifact that he was hoping to find. He was really excited when he finally found it but when he picked the thing up, something happened to him. He turned white as a sheet and he was trembling uncontrollably, then his legs gave and he passed out. I was able to reach out and grab him and then I picked him up and hauled tail back to the gate."  
"His heart rate is 140. That's way too fast." Janet began hurriedly as she shined her pen light into Daniel's eyes. "He's unresponsive. I need to get him stabilized."  
"How can this happen again."  
"Come on. Don't do this, Daniel. Give me a sign here. You've got people here that need you. You have to stay with me." Janet said as the beeping on the heart monitor leveled out. "Heart rate's stable. He's coming back."  
A short time later, Daniel opened his eyes as he regained consciousness to find Jack and Sam sitting at his bedside.  
"What happened?" Daniel asked groggily.  
"You fainted when we were off world. I had to haul you back through the gate. Sure scared us to death. You have any idea what caused that?"  
"No, not really. Did you get what we went for?"  
"Yeah. I put it in your office."  
"But that can wait for now, Daniel. Right now you need to try and rest." Sam said.  
"I'm fine. I need to get to work on my discovery." Daniel insisted as he tried to get to his feet and nearly collapsed again.  
"Enough is enough, Daniel. You're not strong enough to be up now. You had a scary moment." Jack growled at him.  
"What happened here?" Janet asked as she came to see what the commotion was about.  
"Our friend here had the bright idea to try and get out of bed and go back to work, which resulted in his almost collapsing again."  
"Okay. That's enough. Daniel, you need to rest. I'm going to give you a sedative now to make sure you do get some rest."  
"Janet, is that really necessary?" Sam asked protectively, watching as Janet gave Daniel an injection, feeling Jack's hand on her shoulder.  
"Yes, it is. If he tries to get up again, he could injure himself. You and Jack should come with me now so Daniel can get some sleep as soon as that sedative kicks in." Janet said as Sam and Jack followed her to the door that is until Daniel grabbed Jack's arm.  
"Jack,"  
"Yeah. What's up?"  
"Will you make sure Sam's okay? She seems upset." Daniel asked, beginning to feel drowsy and lightheaded.  
"Sure. That's a promise. Now you just get some sleep."  
As soon as Jack left the room, with the knowledge that he would keep an eye on Sam, Daniel gave in to the sedative and closed his eyes, drifting easily into the darkness of slumber. 


	11. Confessions of the Heart

Chapter 11: Confessions of the Heart  
  
Jack wandered aimlessly through the corridors of the SGC, concerned about Daniel and looking for Sam. He had made a promise to Daniel that he would find her and assure that she was okay and Jack O'Neill was a man of his word. He found Sam in her laboratory, looking scared to death, her head bowed over a table.  
"Carter? You okay." Jack asked, quietly approaching as to avoid startling her and placing a hand on her shoulder.  
"I'm okay, I guess, Jack. How's Daniel?"  
"Daniel's completely dead to the world. He dropped off right after I left the room. But just before he succumbed to the sedation, when he grabbed my arm, he asked me to do a favor for him."  
"What did he ask you?" Sam whispered.  
"He asked me to come and find you to check on you. It concerned him that you seemed upset. Wouldn't let himself give in to sleep until he made me promise to take care of you."  
"Daniel is one in a million. I can't believe that after whatever happened on that planet, he's more concerned about me than he is about himself."  
"Well, Carter, that's what happens when you care about someone as deeply as Daniel cares for you. It's obvious that he cares about you, it doesn't take someone as smart as he is to figure it out." Jack smiled, draping an arm over her shoulders.  
"I guess I did sound a little like a mother hen back there, didn't I. I don't know what came over me."  
"To tell you the truth, the same thing that came out of your mouth was going through my head. The only difference was you voiced it and I think that's for the best though because it would have seemed strange had I said that."  
"I'm just so relieved that Daniel isn't suffering any ill effects from whatever happened to him on PS3-97K. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to him again." Sam said, tears stinging her eyes.  
"I know, Carter. Believe me, I know. But Daniel's fine, I'm fine, everything's fine. Now come on, let's go and stakeout the infirmary. Whenever Daniel wakes up from the sedative, it'll help to see a couple of friendly faces."  
"Good idea."  
  
A few minutes later, Jack and Sam quietly entered the infirmary where Daniel lay under sedation. As Sam walked over to sit beside the bed, she got a visual of the day she stood in this very room and watched him let go of life and die right in front of her. Shaken by this memory, Sam buried her face in her hands and began crying softly.  
"Sam? What's the matter?" Jack asked comfortingly, calling her by her first name without realizing it.  
"It's just that I got a really bad memory flashback a minute ago. I went back in time a year and saw Daniel lying in this room, dying in front of us and we couldn't do anything." Sam cried as Jack took her into his arms and held her in a tight embrace.  
"I understand. When I first carried Daniel back through the gate and Janet brought him here, I got the same vision. But it's like I said before, everything's fine. All Daniel needs right now is what he's getting, lots of rest. Actually, I think a flashback is what triggered Daniel's reaction today."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Well, think about it, Carter. When we were on the planet the day that accident happened, Daniel was fiddling with that artifact when I knocked him clear of that statue and got whacked by it instead. I think that when we went back for the thing and Daniel found it, when he picked it up it sort of brought everything back in a rush and he reacted. I wouldn't worry too much if I were you, though. Janet said that Daniel should be fine when he wakes up." Jack reassured her.  
"I can't really help it. I don't know why but I seem to worry about Daniel a lot since he came back to us."  
"I think I know why."  
"What?"  
"Well, the day Janet released me from the infirmary after I recovered enough, Daniel took me home and crashed at my house that night. The next morning, he and I were talking and he was telling me about some of the things that you did for him when he was wrestling with what happened."  
"Oh really."  
"Yep. It's obvious to me that at some point in the near future, you and Daniel have quite a bit to talk about."  
"It's funny you brought that up, Jack. Because the night we stayed at Daniel's place, Teal'c said pretty much the same thing to me. He called me on it big time."  
"Kinda shocking, coming from Teal'c. I'd never have pegged him as the type to do something like that."  
"Yeah. It took me off guard. I didn't know what to say. I told him the same thing I told you."  
"Well, I know to be true now what I've kinda suspected for a while. You have feelings for Daniel. I picked it up from the things Daniel told me that morning and I see it in your eyes now. The question is what are you going to do about it." Jack asked, eyebrows raised.  
"I don't understand where you're going with this. What am I going to do about what?"  
"The Jaffa." Jack rolled his eyes. "Your feelings of course. Would you act on them if you were given the chance?"  
"I guess so. I'd like to try something out. Why?"  
"No reason. I just wondered. Believe it or not, underneath this gruff exterior, I'm a hopeless romantic."  
"Sure. Whatever you say." Sam laughed quietly as Jack laughed with her.  
"Well, I don't know about you, Carter, but I'm spent. I had to carry Daniel through the gate after he passed out and he's not exactly a light weight. What guy would be who lifted weights with Teal'c every other day? Anyway, I'm exhausted so I think I'm gonna go to my office and crash for a few hours. Let me know if you need anything." Jack said as a huge yawn escaped him.  
"Okay. Go get some sleep. I'll stay with Daniel. Goodnight, Jack."  
  
After Jack left, Sam sat by Daniel's side with a lot on her mind. She kept thinking about the conversation that she had just had with Jack and she also thought back to her conversation with Teal'c a few weeks before. As she stayed by Daniel's side, watching the peace on his face as he slept, Sam couldn't get that night's conversation out of her head.  
"I know now that you have feelings for Daniel. The question is what are you going to do about it." Jack's words played over and over in her mind.  
What scared Sam was that she wasn't sure what she would do if she were faced with that type of situation. She had never really thought about it because as she was realizing how deep her feelings were for Daniel, he had died and ascended in front of her eyes and she'd believed that she'd lost him forever. She was, in truth, just now getting used to the fact that he was truly back in her life, that he was alive and she was being given a second chance. Sam scooted her chair closer to Daniel's bed, taking his hand in her own and running her other hand over his hair. Then she kissed his hand gently and as she did, Daniel stirred and a few moments later looked at her with sleepy blue eyes.  
"Sam?" Daniel's voice was weak and tired.  
"Hey. How are you feeling?" Sam whispered, inwardly kicking herself for having disturbed him.  
"I feel better. I should have known better than to try to get up and go to work on figuring that artifact out this afternoon after what happened when I retrieved it, I mean, I have the thing in my office. It can wait until I'm stronger. I know you were upset earlier, which was why I held on long enough to ask Jack to look after you, but I have to admit to myself that what Janet did was right."  
"Well, I'm glad you feel better. I'm sorry I woke you. You seemed pretty comfortable."  
"No need to apologize. I just appreciate you staying by me. Even though I was out, I heard you and Jack's voices. Where is Jack, by the way?" Daniel asked.  
"Jack was tired from the long day you guys had. He went to his office to lie down and try to get some sleep."  
"What about you, Sam? You seem tired. You haven't slept, have you?"  
"No, but I couldn't even if I wanted to. I've been too worried about you."  
"Well, since we're both awake, why don't we talk for a while. I wanted to talk to you about something for a few weeks now and this isn't exactly the perfect place but I don't want to wait any longer. The flashback I had on PS3-97K really put some things into perspective for me. I need to get this out now." Daniel said, sounding a little nervous.  
"Jack said a flashback is probably what happened. What did you want to talk about?"  
"Well, Sam. I know you remember the day I died and ascended a year ago." Daniel paused a moment as Sam nodded her head, pain flashing through her deep brown eyes. "Even though I had already drifted into a coma at that point, the main thing I remember about that day was hearing you tell me that we never tell people how we feel until its too late and you hope that I always knew that. Sam, I did know. I still do. I know because that's the exact way I feel about you. When I ascended it broke my heart because I knew that you would be hurt the most by that. I guess what I'm trying to say is this. I love you, Sam. I have for some time."  
"Daniel, I love you too. I'm just getting used to having you back in my life after a year. I missed you so much when you were gone. It's like you're not the only one who was given a second chance. I was too. Now that I have this chance, I'm going to hang on for dear life and I won't let go. Never again." Sam said, fighting off her tears as Daniel pulled her close and kissed her, leaving her breathless.  
"Wow."  
"I think I'd agree with that." Daniel laughed.  
"This doesn't seem real." Sam whispered as she regained her breath.  
"But it is, I promise." Daniel scooted over and patted a place beside him on the bed. "Come sit here with me."  
Sam sat on the bed and rested her head on Daniel's shoulder, relishing the feeling of his arms around her. In the comfort of Daniel's arms, Sam began to feel the fatigue from the long, emotional day creeping up on her and she closed her eyes. Moments later she had drifted off to sleep, peace flowing over her as she rested in a loving embrace.  
Daniel was pulled out of his thoughts by the feel of soft breathing on his neck. He turned his head carefully and noticed that Sam had fallen asleep in his arms and her head was resting lightly on his shoulder.  
"Hmm. The tables sure have turned on this game, haven't they? Get some sleep, Sam. It'll do you good. Who knows, maybe I could use with an extra sleep cycle myself." Daniel whispered with a yawn. He settled into a comfortable position and closed his eyes, allowing himself to slide back into sleep.  
  
Two weeks later, SG-1 stood in the gate room before the ramp, preparing to step through the Stargate on yet another mission. Everything had finally gotten back to normal and now they were heading out to test the length of the gate's reach with the new artifact Daniel had discovered.  
"Colonel O'Neill, you have a go. Good luck, SG-1." Hammond acknowledged as the wormhole opened.  
As the four walked up the ramp, Jack took note of the couple standing to his right and then he looked at Teal'c with a smile on his face, which the Jaffa returned with a raised eyebrow. What had caught their attention was that Sam and Daniel were holding hands. As they stepped through the gate and prepared for whatever awaited them on the other side, Jack thought to himself that things weren't back to normal. They were better. 


End file.
